Good Cop, Bad Cop
by Red Leather White Silk
Summary: Modern AU. Detective Amnell transfers to D'Hara for a fresh start but there's definitely more to this city than meets the eye.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey there, Red here. This is my solo AU fic ^_^ (Though White is my proof reader of course. )  
Hope you enjoy my first chapter :) **_

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**Chapter one: Nothing is ever easy.**

** - Kahlan's POV –**

Transfers always were difficult to arrange, especially between cities like Aydindril and D'Hara. The police departments had always been at war with each other over jurisdiction and credit when it came to the bigger cases so being an Aydindril cop in D'Hara was probably the least sought after job on the force. Kahlan still took the job though, she wanted out of Aydindril and D'Hara seemed the best place to go, not to mention she was really looking forward to working with her new partner. Apparently she was in the army before she took up police work, Special Forces, then, after only a few years on the force, she'd been promoted to Detective, it was an impressive history and Kahlan was looking forward to seeing her in action. Still, she was a little uncomfortable about being in such a new place... D'Hara was very different to Aydindril, the streets seemed darker and the buildings rougher. Not that it wasn't beautiful; it did have its own splendour but she guessed she was just wary of the unfamiliar area. As the taxi pulled up at the station, she paid the driver and climbed out, brushing the creases out of her clothing as she straightened up. For her first day on the job she'd decided to look as professional as possible. She was, after all, still a little inexperienced (having only been promoted a few weeks ago). Her clothes were formal but easy to move around in: black trousers, a white shirt, tidy black shoes and a light grey jacket, with her new badge hanging around her neck. The taxi drove off and with a final check to make sure her long brown hair was still tied neatly back in a low ponytail, she headed for the door, not wanting anyone to look out of a window and see her just standing there.

Inside was full of activity. Some officers were talking with each other or into phones and radio receivers whilst others were dragging people of varying levels of compliance toward different rooms. Unsure of where to go, she looked around for someone who didn't seem too busy, or too angry, and settled on a black haired woman stood by a lift. She was shorter than Kahlan by a head and a half, her long hair tied back in a loose braid that reached the middle of her back. Her clothes were somewhere around smart casual; black formal trousers and jacket but with a red T-shirt underneath.

"Excuse me; I'm not sure where to go." She gave a polite smile and the woman turned to look at her, pausing briefly before returning the smile.

"Where are you trying to get to?" She didn't seem bothered by the interruption so Kahlan relaxed. She hated appearing so nervous but first day at a new job and first week in a strange city clashing together played with her nerves.

"I'm looking for Detective Mason." As soon as she spoke an amused smirk came over the other woman's face.

"Oh, you'll be her new partner. Follow me." As if they were waiting for her to speak, the lift doors chose that moment to open and the shorter woman stepped in. A little worried as to why this woman found her so amusing, Kahlan followed, standing beside her.

"Her office is on the fourth floor, I'm headed to forensics on fifth but I'll show you the way." She still smirked but Kahlan gave up trying to decipher it and simply gave a thankful smile in return.

"Thank you. My name's Kahlan by the way." She held out her hand politely and the shorter woman took it.

"Raina, nice to meet you." She winked as the doors slid open and they both stepped out, walking along a hallway until Raina stopped at a door labelled with two names: Detective C. Mason and Detective K. Amnell.

"They got your name on there already huh? That's optimistic." The shorter woman sounded amused but before Kahlan could ask what she meant by that, Raina had pushed the door open.

"Darken I already told you, I don't want a new- Oh it's you." An annoyed voice reached her before she entered the room but as she did her eyes found her new partner.

Cara Mason was stood beside one of the desks, staring at them. To say that she didn't look much like a detective would be an understatement. Her blonde hair reached to the tops of her shoulders that were mostly bare aside from the black straps of the woman's tank top that was worn tucked into the most skin tight pair of blood red leather trousers Kahlan had seen in her life. She couldn't help but wonder exactly how the woman got into them in the morning; it looked as though she'd have to be sewn in. After a second she realised she was staring and blinked, pulling her attention back up to the blonde's face, only to be met by a pair green eyes that practically shone with amusement. Apparently she'd been caught. Determined to keep her cool, Kahlan clasped her hands in front of her, hiding her embarrassment behind a calm expression. After a moment of awkward silence, the blonde spoke.

"Raina, don't you have some blood to analyse or something?" She turned her attention to the shorter woman, who, Kahlan only just noticed, was watching the exchange with the expression of someone watching a sparring match.

"Right, I'll see you later." She seemed disappointed but left anyway, giving Kahlan one last amused glance before shutting the door behind her.

**- Cara's POV –**

Once Raina was gone, Cara moved to sit on the edge of her desk, her eyes roaming freely over the new partner Darken was trying to force upon her. It was clear what he was trying to do here, send in some impossibly hot chick and see if it made her suddenly want to have a partner. Sorry, Kahlan Amnell, but you would be going home soon, taking your stunning figure and flawless features with you.

"Listen, I'm going to tell this to you straight. I don't need, or want, a new partner. Just like I didn't need or want the last one. No offence, but I work better alone." She folded her arms across her chest and waited. The brunette seemed to think for a second before shrugging.

"Well, you're not going to be much use if you stand there acting tough, so I guess I don't need you either." Amnell's expressionless mask stayed in place while she spoke and Cara blinked in surprise. Normally she got an earful of complaints, one or two laughs from people who thought she was kidding or a lot of swearing. Never a reaction like that. The woman was... odd.

"Just... Stay out of my way." She moved around to sit behind her desk, not bothering to look up and see the inevitable smirk that would be plastered over the other woman's face.

The office stayed in icy silence for half an hour before Warren from records came up to get Amnell's signature for a few things and present her with her ID swipe card. Before he scurried off again, Cara picked up the report she'd had Darken sign earlier and held it out.

"Take this with you." She only glanced at him briefly before going back to her computer; the case had been open and shut from the beginning; basic domestic dispute that got out of hand. The woman had thrown a vase at her husband while they were fighting, it hadn't gone well and she'd tried to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Boring. It was strange but in this job she often found herself wishing murderers would get smarter. That way she would have something to do other than play games on her computer. At the minute she was on Tetris (having just got bored of Pacman) and was getting pretty good at it.

It was almost the end of the day before Darken came in. She'd been expecting him: he was, after all, the biggest letch she had ever met, and her new 'partner' was not unattractive.

"Detective Amnell, It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Police Chief Rahl." He smiled and Amnell stood up, Cara stayed where she was, dropping a L piece into a great spot and clearing three lines.

"It's great to finally be here." The woman seemed to be mimicking Darken's 'friendly' demeanour but as she glanced up Cara could see by the brunette's raised eyebrow and tightly controlled smile that it was just for show. So Amnell was pretty **and** smart. Surprising.

"How're you settling in? I hope Mason's not giving you too much trouble?" The smirk practically dripped from his voice as Cara went back to her game, rolling her eyes to herself as Amnell gave a short laugh.

"I can handle her." That made Cara pause, she covertly glanced up to look at the pair but found no trace of a satisfied smirk anywhere on the brunette's face. In its place lay simple cheerfulness. Either she was a lot smarter than Cara first thought, or she was too nice for words. Or insane; that was definitely still an option. She might have to keep an eye on this one. Speaking of keeping an eye on things, she turned back to her game, only to find she'd forgotten to pause and a long tower of blocks had formed up the middle, resulting in game over. Damn it.

"You like her." Dahlia's icy blue eyes narrowed and Cara looked to Berdine and Raina for help, only to find them a little too engaged in... each other to offer support.

"She's just a colleague, not even a permanent one; I just need a way to get rid of her." She grumbled the last part mostly to herself and took a long drink of red wine. The restaurant around them was busy but the four of them liked it here. It was their frequent double-date spot.

"Then why have you done nothing but talk about her since you turned up? Late, by the way!" Dahlia scowled and Cara gave a quiet sigh, reaching over to take her girlfriend's hand.

"Because I hate having to put up with a new partner." She pulled on Dahlia's hand to bring her closer and slid a hand into her hair, using it as grip to get the shorter woman close enough for a kiss. The pair of them hadn't been together for nearly as long as Berdine and Raina but Cara dared anyone to try and tell Dahlia to take it easy. The platinum blonde had a habit of getting insanely jealous over the tiniest of things. Cara was pretty sure that if she didn't find an excuse to get rid of her latest partner within the week, Dahlia would make one of her 'surprise visits' to her office. Though, given whom her partner was, Dahlia seeing Amnell for herself might not ease her jealousy. It wasn't often she found someone who was possibly more attractive than her girlfriend.

Probably best not to say that out loud.

**- Kahlan's POV-**

Nothing is ever easy. Kahlan sighed heavily as she stepped inside her still unfamiliar flat. Her first day on the job and her partner had told her to leave and her boss had eyed her up. She felt a strong urge to pack up and get the first plane out of D'Hara but, as Zedd used to say: Nothing is ever easy. She couldn't just give up and go home. Her response to Mason's rejection certainly seemed to have stunned the blonde a little and Rahl was definitely completely oblivious to her desire to remove something (or pair of things) he held very dear and shove them down his throat. Creeps were, as the noun suggested, creepy.

The day had ended early so she had time to unpack a few more things before her dinner arrived (a Chinese food menu had been left in her post slot so she decided to make use of it). Boxes still littered most rooms but she'd managed to unpack essentials and assemble a few key pieces of furniture. So far she had a bed, a sofa and a coffee table. Did she really need anything else? She eyed the other boxes warily. The three she'd done were very simple: the sofa had only needed its legs screwing on. Somehow she'd managed to assemble her bed wrong twice before getting it right. Her thoughts strayed to the coffee table catastrophe but she didn't want to go there: it had been a waste of a perfectly good screwdriver. With a quiet sigh she dropped down onto her new sofa, Richard had always insisted on doing all the manual labour. Maybe she should have made him let her help: then she'd be good at this stuff. The memory of when they moved in together rushed forward and Kahlan smiled. He'd been like an over-exited puppy, all but bouncing down the stairs to help her carry her things in. A knock at the door caught her attention and she rooted through her pockets for money. Her stomach had been growling for half an hour now, so food was definitely top of the priorities list. She could battle the remaining deadly furniture later.

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_**So that's the first chapter done :) hope you enjoyed it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Okay, I really am sorry for the huge wait, I've just started back at college so time is short. And readers of On Your Mind should know that White is busy too so it's not completely my fault that that's not updated either _ Either way, I've already started chapter three of this one so, with any luck, it should be out soon. - Red_**

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**Chapter Two: Hang in there.**

- Cara's POV -

"Where are my keys?" Dahlia was rushing around the apartment, looking under sofa cushions and tables for her car keys, clearly stressed. Cara watched for a while, amused, before stepping out of the kitchen and turning to the hook beside the door, where they always were.

"Here." She lifted them up and gave them a slight rattle, leaning against the wall with a smirk. Dahlia gave a huff of annoyance and took them from her.

"Going to fire that new partner today?" She sulked up at her and Cara chuckled, her hands moving to the shorter woman's hips to pull her closer.

"If I find a good reason. Try not to kill anyone?" She grinned as Dahlia leant up with a scowl.

"Cheeky." Before Cara could form a smart answer, lips were on hers. Of course, she responded instantly, though Dahlia quickly changed the pace to something a little too enthusiastic for a goodbye.

Once the woman had left, Cara made her way back to the kitchen, ruffling Leo's head as she passed him to grab her coffee.

"I should probably get dressed, huh fluff-ball?" She looked to the cat who simply stared back at her. Coffee in hand, she headed to her bedroom, pulling on her usual clothes without paying too much attention. Then she headed into the bathroom, a small frown forming on her face when she saw the state of it. Dahlia's things were everywhere. The woman really did use a lot of makeup. She had to move several bottles and tubs of God-knows-what out of the way before she could get to her own toothbrush. It wouldn't be so bad, but they weren't even officially living together. Dahlia had brought up the subject first thing in the morning a few weeks ago but Cara had not been even remotely awake enough to give anything more than a non-committal grunt in response. She was useless before coffee. Since then, Dahlia had taken to leaving things at her place. First, it was just an innocent little toothbrush, but now clothes were slowly starting to move into her cupboards, along with everything else Dahlia claimed to need on a daily basis, which seemed like everything. Cara guessed she should probably be okay with it; they had been together for two years. So why did it annoy her?

Detective Amnell was already there when she arrived; looking through what looked like all her recent case files.

"Anything new?" Cara dropped down at her desk and put her feet up, leaning back in her chair.

"No, but I did want to ask you about something." The brunette didn't look up as she spoke; instead she walked over, dropping a file on the desk in front of her. Cara knew it well; it was a case from last week.

"This group called 'The Order' keeps coming up. Who are they?" She gestured to the notes Cara had written about the case. That one had been interesting. It seemed like an internal murder; one of the gang had been killed for failing to do... something. The other detectives were still working on finding out what but Cara knew they'd have covered their tracks too well by now.  
"The Imperial Order is a gang that's been terrorising D'Haran police for longer than anyone around here cares to admit. They kill anyone who doesn't agree with them. Very nasty lot. The majority of the rape and murder cases have the Order written all over them these days. They think 'everyone should bend to the will of someone else's need' or something equally as dumb." She gave a humourless smirk and shook her head.

"They're led by a pain-in-the-ass named Jagang. We've been trying to catch him for years but he's a sneaky bastard. His 'advisor' Narev has spies pretty much everywhere; it's almost impossible to get anything past them. That's about everything we know about them. Any more questions?" She arched a questioning eyebrow and Amnell shook her head.

"Thanks." With a small smile, she turned and went back to her own desk, burrowing back into her mound of files. With a quiet sigh, Cara turned on her computer. It looked like she could cross laziness off of her list of things to fire her partner for; the woman put more effort in that half of the other detectives combined.

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- Kahlan's POV –

D'Hara had a lot more serious and organised crime than Aydindril. Back home there had been thefts, small fights but murder was rare. There had been a short series of serial killings once, when she was still a street officer. Richard had been the head on that case...

She pushed the thought away and went back to her reading. She was a little tired; her bed was still off balance; one of the legs seemed to be shorter than the rest so every time she rolled over it would tip onto the shorter leg and the jolt would wake her up. In the end she'd stuck a wad of newspaper under it, which helped a little but it still wobbled. The instructions had been no help: her Swedish was rusty and the rest was written in something that looked like hieroglyphs. With her makeshift repair job, she had managed to snatch a few hours sleep, at least. Still, it wasn't long until her eyes started to ache.

Lunch time rolled around and she followed Mason down to the canteen. The blonde ignored her completely of course, but that suited her just fine; better silence than the usual stream of snarky comments. At least she was professional when Kahlan had asked her about the gang. She had half-expected some made-up story or half-hearted explanation tailored simply to annoy her, but the blonde had told her everything she needed to know. Maybe they could work together after all.

"Hey, newbie." Raina appeared next to her and she jumped a little as she was yanked from her thoughts.

"Hey." Once she'd righted herself she gave a small smile and the shorter woman grinned.

"Something on your mind?" Her eyes seemed to flicker to the blonde who was now selecting her food but Kahlan shrugged.

"Just tired. Moving in is taking longer than I'd hoped." She walked over to join the queue, indicating for Raina to come with her.

"Furniture problems?" She smirked and Kahlan blinked in surprise.

"How did you know?" Raina just laughed.

"Because there's only one decent furniture shop around here and their instruction manuals suck. It takes a practiced hand to know what the hell they're on about. Berdine and I had the same problem when we got our place." She smiled cheerfully and Kahlan chuckled, relieved to know that she wasn't the only one to have had trouble.

"If you want, we can come lend a hand." Raina smiled cheerfully as they paid for their food. Kahlan had gone for a simple tuna sandwich and a bottle of water.

"Well, if you're not busy..." She gave a grateful smile and they sat down at a table that held only Cara, who didn't look up, she simply stayed eating the biggest BLT Kahlan had ever seen in her life.

"No, it's fine. I'll call Berdine after lunch and swing by your office before the end of the day. It'll be fun." She seemed happy with herself and dove into her own lunch, leaving Kahlan to smile to herself. She liked Raina.

True to her word, Raina stopped by a few minutes before Kahlan clocked off for the day.

"Berdine said it's fine. We'll be there around seven?" She tilted her head questioningly and Kahlan nodded.

"That's great. Thanks." She kept her smile for a moment but Mason's voice made it drop.

"Have you and Berdine finally found someone for your threesome?" The blonde smirked and Raina laughed.

"Oh, I wish. We're just helping her set up furniture. Although, there are worse options..." She winked at Kahlan who had almost swallowed her tongue. She wasn't entirely sure what she should say to that but thankfully the shorter woman continued speaking.

"You're good with that kind of stuff, why don't you come help? The furniture, not the... That's okay, Stretch?" She asked Kahlan as an afterthought and she shrugged casually in response. More help was more help.

"Sure. Anything that helps me actually sleep tonight." She looked to Cara who was sat with an unreadable expression.

Kahlan's eyes flickered from Raina to Mason. Raina's eyes were fixed on the blonde and her expression was almost challenging. Mason remained unreadable as the seconds ticked by but eventually she spoke. The room had been quiet for so long that the sudden sound almost made Kahlan jump.

"Maybe." With that she turned off her computer and left. A glance at the time revealed that it was time to leave, so Kahlan stood too.

"I'll see you later, then?" She smiled at Raina who nodded an odd smug look in her eyes.

"Yep." With one last grin she was gone, leaving Kahlan to lean against her desk with a heavy sigh. Tonight was going to be strange.

A few minutes after seven, a knock on her door alerted Kahlan to Raina's arrival. She took a moment to glance at her reflection in a mirror leaning haphazardly against the wall before opening the door to reveal a grinning Raina and a brunette she assumed was Berdine.

"Thanks for coming, er... Come in." She stepped aside and Raina dragged the brunette in by her hand.

"No problem, Kahlan this is Berdine, Berdine, Kahlan." She waved a hand between them and dropped down on the sofa, leaving Kahlan to shut the door and give a small smile to the other brunette.

Raina's girlfriend was roughly Kahlan's height, with hair a few shades lighter than her own but as long as Raina's and tied back in the same loose braid. She was, however, very tidy, a trait Raina did not seem to share. She wore a pair of black trousers and a simple black dress shirt, topped with a red leather jacket, not dissimilar to the one Mason wore at work.

"Nice to meet you." She held out a hand and the woman shook it with a slight smirk.

"Likewise. Raina tells me you're stuck trying to handle Cara?" She tilted her head slightly and Kahlan took her hand back, placing it awkwardly over the back of her neck.

"Yeah, she's a bit... anti-social." She chuckled but Raina's voice caught her attention.

"Oh she's not anti-social, just grumpy. If you survive her long enough she can be pretty fun." She grinned and Berdine nodded.

"Hang in there. If you've survived her for the first couple of days, it means she's failed to find something wrong with you yet. Just work hard and she'll give up trying. Bringing her coffee helps." She smiled kindly and turned to the boxes around the room.

"So, where should we start?" She shrugged out of her jacket, neatly dropping it onto the arm of the sofa as Raina jumped up, doing the same with an enthusiastic grin.

"Yeah, set us to work." She winked and Kahlan chuckled.

"Bookshelf?" She stepped over to a large box beside the window and the pair nodded.

"So how did you two meet anyway?" After a few hours of hard work, they'd all decided they were hungry so Raina ordered pizza. They all sat around her, newly-furnished, living room to eat. Kahlan, of course, provided the drinks: wine for herself and Berdine but Raina was driving so she asked the pizza place to send some soda.

"Military... Four years ago?" Raina spoke between bites of pizza and cast a questioning glance to Berdine.

"Five. Six in November." She smiled slightly and removed a blob of sauce from the corner of her girlfriend's mouth with her thumb.

"Wow... Is that where you both know Mason from then?" She tilted her head to one side and Berdine nodded, Raina too busy with her food to answer.

"There were six of us in Special forces together. Denna, Cara, Dahlia, Hally, Raina and I. We were one hell of a team." She smiled fondly at some memory.

"Do you all still see each other?" Curious, Kahlan took a sip of wine and relaxed into her sofa.

"Since Cara and Dahlia got together, we often go out together, the four of us. Denna still drops by occasionally, never in any strict pattern but always at least once a year... For Hally's birthday." Her voice turned solemn and Kahlan instantly knew why. She knew that tone.

"I'm sorry; it's hard to lose someone you're close to. But at least the rest of you still see each other?" She smiled slightly, hoping she hadn't brought down the tone of the evening with her questions but Berdine returned her smile.

"We honour her memory. She died in battle and that's the best that can be expected of a Mord'Sith." She raised her head in a proud way but Kahlan frowned in confusion.

"Mord'Sith?" The word sounded strange to her: they didn't have those in Aydindril.

"Special forces. The Mord'Sith are the most elite force of the D'Haran army, all women." She grinned and Kahlan chuckled.

"Sounds... Daunting. I'm glad Aydindril and D'Hara are allies." She smiled and Berdine and Raina laughed.

"Damn straight." Raina winked and they all chuckled, finishing off their dinner.

It was quite late when the pair left but by the end of it, they'd managed to assemble all of the remaining furniture. Kahlan had insisted on paying for dinner. Their hard work had really saved her from a lot of broken tools, damaged furniture and instruction manuals in long-dead languages. Mason had never showed, but then Kahlan never really expected her to. She got the feeling that she and her new partner might be able to form a professional relationship, but she wasn't really the type of person she'd like to know socially, despite Raina's attempts to convince her that Cara was 'funny'.

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_**Sticking in references makes me happy :3**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Woo for a quick update, hope you all enjoy :) - Red**_

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**Chapter Three: First case.**

**- Kahlan's POV -**

It was a few days before she and Mason were finally given a new case. The routine silence of their office was broken by both of their beepers going off at once.

"We'll take my car." Before she could even stand, Mason had already reached the door, pulling on her jacket with car keys in hand. She'd never seen the other detective move this fast, not even at the start of the week when Raina had convinced her they were handing out free donuts in the canteen. Still, this was her first case, her first chance to prove that she was good at her job and with a nod she was up and pulling on her blazer, following the blonde out of the door.

She wasn't sure what kind of car she expected Mason to have. A red sports car of some description maybe? The kind with ridiculous amounts of turbo chargers and a noise like a mattress being put through a shredder. Though, now that she saw it, she couldn't really see the serious detective driving anything other than the simple black saloon that she climbed into. The car was fitted out with black leather seats but other than that it seemed purely functional, though it did also seem to be kept very clean. Clearly Mason was very car-proud. They played no music, driving in silence toward their destination. They'd both received a text with the location so neither of them had actually spoken a word since they left the office.

"Grab some gloves." Mason's voice split the silence and Kahlan jumped, turning to look at her questioningly.

"The glovebox." Cara rolled her eyes and turned back to the road. Kahlan pulled it open, finding a pack of latex gloves and pulled out two pairs, shutting the compartment just as they pulled up. As they got out, Kahlan threw a pair to the other detective and strode decisively toward the taped off alleyway, pulling on her own as she went.

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** - Cara's POV** –

With a critical eye, she watched Amnell walk into the alleyway. They really only knew one thing about what awaited them: a woman was dead. As she followed the brunette, Cara watched the other woman carefully, waiting to see if she would falter in the face of death. She'd dragged up her record from Aydindril: the worst the woman had sees was a small chain of serial killings that had gone unsolved, Aydindril was nothing like D'Hara. She moved to stand beside the brunette, her eyes shifting targets and landing upon the deceased, propped up against the wall. Raina was moving around, snapping the necessary photographs while Cara took in every detail. The woman was middle aged, relatively tall, red haired, slim build and, if her clothing was anything to go on, a big fan of night clubs. She was also missing a leg. A glance out of the corner of her eye showed an unreadable expression on Amnell's face. It was actually a little impressive. Most detectives adopted a sad look, others stayed passive, but the brunette managed a face that held no emotion whatsoever. Cara pulled on her gloves with a loud snap, ducking under the tape boundary to crouch beside the body.

"All done, Raina?" She arched an eyebrow to the shorter woman who nodded, putting the cap onto the lens of her camera.

"Yep, they found half of the leg in that bin beside her. It's been put in plastic already. The knee downwards: no sign of the thigh yet." She spoke quickly, not looking up from the small screen of her camera as she flicked through the photographs.

"Right, let me know if anything else turns up." She looked away from Raina and back to the body, pushing her head back to lean against the wall so that she could see her face. She was pretty. Too much makeup, but under it there were signs of an attractive face.

"Any word on who this is yet?" She shot the question over her shoulder and a random policeman stepped forward.

"She had ID in her purse, Selena Michaels, age thirty nine." He sounded sad and she gave him a nod and a dismissive wave. She never understood why people got so emotional: the woman was dead and wouldn't see the sorrow. It was useless. The best thing you could do for the victim is catch the perpetrator and save others from the same fate, not mourn someone you couldn't save.

Raina returned from putting her camera away and Cara glanced at her.

"Cause of death?" She arched an eyebrow and the woman nodded, crouching down on the other side of the redhead.

"Blood loss. We couldn't find any other injuries on her aside from the obvious; she died after her leg was cut off. Awful way to go." She made a sympathetic face to the woman and Cara nodded, frowning slightly. Something about this was weird.

"Defensive wounds?" Amnell's voice sounded from behind her, her tone calm and analytical.

"There's no signs of a struggle. No ligature marks on the wrists or ankles. She wasn't restrained." Raina answered.

"I don't know about you, but if someone came along and started cutting my leg off, I'd at least try to stop them." The brunette spoke calmly, no sign of stress in her voice; no sign of discomfort in her stance. Amnell was a good detective. Damn it. Dahlia would not be pleased. Still, the woman had a point.

"Drug use?" She arched an eyebrow and the brunette ducked under the tape, joining her beside the body and carefully moving Selena's head to the side, inspecting her neck carefully until she found what she was looking for.

"Here. She was injected with something." She placed a finger next to a small needle mark and Cara smiled slightly. Such a small puncture wound could have easily been overlooked.

"I'll push the toxicology report through faster, see what our killer used, but the location of the injection indicates medical knowledge. So does the way the leg was removed, he didn't use a hack saw, the whole thing was removed, the bone dislocated from its socket and taken away." Raina's voice was grave. Their killer was smart.

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**- Kahlan's POV –**

The drive back to the office was silent, almost awkwardly so. Mason seemed lost in thought. She'd spotted something the blonde hadn't and she couldn't help but be a little proud of that, but her main focus was the body back in the alleyway. After scouring the scene they still hadn't found the thigh. The killer took the whole femur with him. Who killed someone to steal their leg? She ran a hand over her face as they pulled up at the station and undid her seatbelt, moving to get out when a voice stopped her.

"Good work today. If you hadn't spotted that needle mark, we'd have had to wait ages for the tox report to come through and tell us she was drugged." Mason didn't look at her as she spoke, simply stared out of the windshield but Kahlan gave a slight smile anyway.

"Thanks. I just hope it will help." With that she got out of the car, not wanting to drag on the awkwardness of the moment longer than necessary. On the inside though, she did a small victory dance. The blonde had just admitted she was useful: if that wasn't progress she didn't know what was.

With Raina pushing the toxicology report, the results were back within two days, confirming that the woman had been given a heavy dose of morphine before the amputation. Unfortunately, only an hour after that news came though, their beepers went off again.

First a thigh, now a calf. Kahlan's eyes fixed on the woman before her. She was in an alleyway, just like the first, propped against a wall with her head hanging forward, blood pooling around the end of her thigh. The end of the femur could be seen sticking out of the wound, it was almost enough to turn Kahlan's stomach but she moved forward regardless, tilting the woman's head to check her neck. Sure enough, there lay the same mark as before, in the same vein as before. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she turned and nodded to Mason, who remained as stony faced as ever as she nodded back.

"Blonde this time, above average height again, nice face. Our killer has a thing for tall and attractive women." Mason spoke matter-of-factly and Kahlan could have sworn she saw her eyes flicker to her for a split second. So they now had a type for his victims, that was always helpful, but why steal their legs?

Back at the station, Kahlan ran a check through all the murders in the city for the past year, searching for women of above-average height that had been found missing body parts. Two results came up.

"Mason." She tapped on the desk to catch the blonde's attention and the woman came over.

"Look at this." She gestured to her computer and started to read as the woman walked around to look over her shoulder.

"Maria Anders, aged thirty five, five feet, ten inches. Pulled out of a river, missing her feet." She paused while she moved to the other name and saw Cara bend forward, leaning over her slightly to see the screen.

"And here, Jacqueline Harrison, aged thirty eight, five foot ten. Found in a public bathroom in a park, with no jaw." She glanced at Mason and found her frowning at the screen.

"Five foot ten. These new vics are the same height." She placed her hand on the back of Kahlan's chair and continued to stare at the screen.

"Bring up their pictures." It wasn't a question. Kahlan brought them both up and glanced between the screen and the other detective.

"They're both pretty. Add them to the list of victims. Our guy's collecting various parts of attractive, tall women-"

"What's this about attractive, tall women?" Rahl's voice came from the doorway and they both looked up.

"Good to see you two working so well together." His smirk dripped into his tone and Kahlan saw Cara straighten up out of the corner of her eye.

"The serial killer's collecting body parts from attractive woman of above average height. Four victims so far." Mason didn't look at the chief as she spoke. She simply walked over to her computer and dropped down into her seat, putting her feet up on the desk.

"How unfortunate. You'd better keep a close eye on our new detective, then. Seems she's in danger." He turned and winked at her and Kahlan felt an intense urge to throw her hole-punch at his head. Instead she gave a tight smile and looked back at her computer. If he wasn't her boss...

"I'll be sure to. Was there something you wanted?" Cara called his attention back to her and Rahl's smirk grew.

"No, I simply dropped by to see how things were going." He glanced between them again and Kahlan rolled her eyes behind her computer.

"Then you can go, we're busy." Kahlan had to hold back a grin at how easily Mason dismissed their boss, but she quickly turned to having to hold back a glare as Rahl cast her one last smirk before leaving. One day she would punch the goatee off of that man.

"Hard to believe he has a girlfriend, isn't it?" Cara's voice broke through her violent fantasizing and Kahlan blinked in surprise.

"He does? Who?" She cringed at the thought of someone capable of withstanding that creep.

"Some woman called Nicci. She's actually alright, definitely too good for him but a little shy. I met her at a few parties last year." The blonde shrugged and Kahlan mulled over this information. Maybe Rahl wasn't so bad when he wasn't at work or something... She tried to imagine him not staring several inches lower than her face but her mind simply couldn't grasp it and she gave up, instead choosing to focus on the fact that Mason had just spoken to her about something other than the case. Did that mean she'd passed her tests or something? With a shake of her head she pushed the thoughts away and let a small smile curve the corners of her mouth.

"Must be his stunning personality." She let sarcasm fill her tone and glanced over to find an amused smirk on the blonde's face.

A week later, the bodies were piling up and Kahlan's stress was building. Seven women were now dead and their killer had the rest of a skull, hands and a spine. The last one had been particularly stomach turning. Kahlan had needed a moment outside of the warehouse she was found in to compose herself before she could get into the car with Cara and head back to the office. With each death, the blonde's expression seemed to grow more intense. They were trying everything they could think of to find the killer and every day when Kahlan came in, she found the other detective already at her desk, pouring through papers and files. It was actually a little worrying; Kahlan arrived every day at seven am, two hours earlier than she normally would. Cara had been in the habit of arriving around half an hour before lunch, back when they didn't have a case. It was a little disconcerting to see the difference.

The day seemed to move slower than normal as she sat there, reading and re-reading the same files over and over, hoping for a new lead. Finally, she decided to break for lunch and headed to the canteen.

She gave a heavy sigh as she looked at her sandwich. She really didn't feel like eating.

"What's up, stretch?" Raina looked up from her own lunch and Kahlan gave her a tired look. "Worried the Collector might get you?" The shorter woman gave a slight smirk and Kahlan rolled her eyes. The press had begun calling the killer 'The Collector' and, as Raina had pointed out, Kahlan herself was five foot ten.

"We don't seem to be getting any closer to catching him..." She sighed heavily and Raina placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Something will come up. Something always does. Cara never gives up." There was a hint of pride to her voice and Kahlan gave a small smile. The blonde didn't come down to lunch at all these past few days, and that would not be good for her concentration. Kahlan chewed her lip thoughtfully as she stared at the serving counter. Maybe she should take her something...

"Earth to Kahlan?" Raina waved a hand infront of her face and Kahlan blinked, turning back to the shorter woman to find an encouraging smile in place.

"I said you're not exactly useless either." She grinned and Kahlan laughed.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." She stood up.

"I guess I'd better go: work to do." She gave Rains a small smile, and left, pausing as she passed the serving counter.

* * *

**- Cara's POV –**

She ran a hand roughly through her hair as she waited for the search to finish. Why did her computer move so fucking slowly? While she waited she turned to her files and read through them for the six-hundredth time. The bastard had to have slipped up somewhere. The door opened and she didn't even glance up: she knew it would be Amnell returning from lunch. Hmm... Lunch. She was kind of hungry but she had to check out the last area of the morphine lead before she could let herself leave her desk. They'd been investigating various medical supply companies that distribute morphine for days. Each one had required a new search warrant and each time it had come up with nothing. You needed a medical licence to order it so it was all delivered to hospitals, so now she was searching hospital databases. That took even more paperwork and it was driving her insane. She'd never been one for taking things steady and waiting for all the damn paperwork to go through was more than her patience could stand. Just as she was about to kick her computer for being so slow, a paper bag landed on her desk with a small thump. For a second Cara stared at it before looking up to find Amnell frowning down at her.

"Eat before you pass out." She nodded to the paper bag and Cara blinked in surprise, pulling the bag toward her and opening it to find a large BLT looking invitingly at her.

"Thanks..." She trailed off and the brunette gave a small smile before returning to her desk. It only took a moment's hesitation before she dove into the sandwich, thanking whatever higher power might care for her partner. She paused mid-bite as that thought ran through her head, before shrugging it off as low blood sugar and continuing to eat.

Nothing in this hospital either: no unusual sign outs, nothing. She sighed heavily as she scrolled down past the complaints section but paused as something caught her eye. Frequent complaints had been made to the supplier about a missing case of morphine in each delivery. With a frown she looked for more information but found none.

"Amnell." She leant back in her chair but stayed staring at her screen. A couple of seconds later the brunette was behind her.

"Missing morphine." She nodded to her screen and felt the woman lean over her shoulder to see, uncomfortably aware of how close the two of them were.

"We should check it out." The words that came from the brunettes lips mirrored those in her own head. She cast a slight smirk to her and stood, grabbing her jacket as she headed for the door.

"Let's go."

After stopping off to see Warren and grab the required forms, they took off for the hospital.

There were three in D'Hara: St. Alric's, St. Panis and The Raug'Moss. Dahlia worked at St. Alric's, so she'd known fast enough that there was no problem there. St. Panis had also been cleared quickly. Now they were on route to Raug'Moss. It was a very large building, a repurposed church, maybe, but she didn't care much for architecture. She strode purposefully into the reception area with Amnell right behind her, pausing only to ask for directions to whoever was in charge of the stockroom and to flash her badge when the receptionist was reluctant to help. It was their first promising lead in weeks: nothing was going to get in her way.

* * *

**- Kahlan's POV –**

It was fascinating to watch the purposeful way Mason strode into the building. It was almost as if her presence alone commanded people to move out of her way, though the tightly-wound expression on her face was also a possible factor. Soon enough they entered the stockroom, crossing paths with a tall, blonde doctor who was on his way out. As they passed him, Kahlan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end: she could feel his eyes on her, his lecherous gaze digging almost painfully into her skin. With a shudder, she shook off the feeling and followed Cara into the storeroom where the blonde none-too-gently questioned the manager.

"We complained again and again but they always just said they'd sent plenty so there must be a mix-up on our end." He shrugged and Kahlan exchanged a glance with Mason.

"How many doctors come in here?" Kahlan moved to stand beside Cara as she questioned the man and he seemed a little relieved to not have Mason interrogating him.

"Only a few, most of them send orderlies, or nurses." He shifted uncomfortably as Cara placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Write us a list of their names." The man scurried to his desk to write them down, eager to rid himself of the terrifying detective.

"How many do we have left?" Cara was growing impatient as they walked down the corridor and Kahlan tapped a pen to her lips as she looked down the list.

"Three. Two doctors and a surgeon." She looked to Mason who seemed lost in thought.

"Surgeon first." She spoke decisively and Kahlan nodded, a surgeon did seem more likely.

"Doctor Drefan it is then." She folded up the paper and tucked it into her pocket while Cara asked a passing nurse for directions. Then they were on their way to find this mystery surgeon.

He was with a patient when they found him but that didn't seem to stop Cara. She made to stride right in but Kahlan caught her by the arm.

"You can't just walk in there." She frowned and the blonde gave her an incredulous look.

"That person is obviously in hospital for a reason. The last thing they need is the police storming in to question their doctor. Think of the poor man's health. We'll wait here." She gave the other detective a warning look and Mason gave a huff of annoyance, before leaning against the wall beside the door with her arms folded tightly across her chest like a sulking child.

It wasn't long before the surgeon emerged and Kahlan was surprised to find it was the blonde from earlier.

"Doctor Drefan?" She arched a questioning eyebrow and he nodded, his eyes flickering down far below her face. She endured it and moved on, far too used to the action to care.

"I'm Detective Kahlan Amnell; could I ask you a few questions?" She smiled pleasantly and for a split second the man's face was unreadable, the next it was full of anger as he pulled his hands back, probably planning to shove her out of the way. In a flash Cara had hold of him, wrenching her weight to the side to throw him down so she could cuff him.

"I'll take that as a no comment." Kahlan said as she looked down at him, seeing Cara roll her eyes. He was still fighting but Cara was pretty damn strong and held the upper hand. He wasn't going anywhere. She shared a grin with the other detective as she pulled out her phone. Time to take in 'The Collector'.

* * *

_**Shouldn't be too long before the next chapter's out, but I do have a lot of work to do T-T so please be patient :) - Red**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey, really sorry for the massive wait, long story short, me and White have been busy, but just a heads up for fans of On Your Mind, a chapter may be coming your way soon-ish, no promises, but I'm trying xD**_

* * *

_**Chapter 4: The long night.**_

**- Cara's POV –**

She couldn't keep the smirk from her face as she filled in the report. The one type of paperwork she could actually stand was the closing report: it meant she'd done a good job. Unfortunately, it wasn't all her own hard work that had caught Drefan. She didn't want to contemplate how long it might have taken to find him without Amnell's help. She glanced up from her desk to see the brunette sat across the room from her, filling out a report much like her own. She couldn't fire this one. Quite honestly, the woman was an asset to the department and, as much as it pained her to admit it, she couldn't justify firing her. Of course, that would mean little and less to her girlfriend: Dahlia would be less than pleased, especially after she met Amnell, though hopefully that wouldn't happen for a long time.

"Can you sign this?" She almost jumped at the sound of the other woman's voice and looked up to find Kahlan holding out her report. They had to sign off on each other's as well as their own, since they were partners and everything.

"Sure." She took the offered paper and glanced through it, making sure all the facts were there and matched up to hers. They did. The entire thing was documented in great detail without a hint of exaggeration or personal bias. She had to hold back a sigh: the damn woman was even good at paperwork. After scrawling her name at the bottom, she spun hers around, turning it to the woman.

"Sign mine while you're over here." She held up a pen and Amnell nodded, leaning forward to read through the report and sign her name where required. Unfortunately (or not, depending on your outlook), Amnell had not fastened the top few buttons of her shirt, allowing it hang open tantalisingly. She made little effort to avert her eyes: it wasn't in her nature to shy away from things and Amnell **really** wasn't unattractive. Her eyes got lost through the opening in the shirt and remained there until Kahlan straightened.

"There. Want me to take them down to records?" Apparently oblivious to her wandering eyes, the brunette gave a cheerful smile but Cara shook her head.

"No, they need to go to Rahl for approval before they can go down to Warren. I'll take them up and make sure he signs them today or they'll be waiting for weeks." She rolled her eyes at the memory of the last time she'd left something with the chief's secretary. It was a solid month before she got any form of feedback. With a small nod to the brunette she stood, taking both reports and heading off to the office at the top of the building. Rahl's lair.

"Well done, Detective, another criminal safely behind bars and more funding for our station." Rahl clasped his hands together patronisingly, leaving her with the strong urge to grab him by the hair and bounce his head off the desk. Barely resisting that urge, she answered his usual smirk with a roll of her eyes.

"Here's our reports. They're the same, I checked." She dropped the documents onto the table and folded her arms across her chest, waiting.

"As always, I will trust your judgement, my dear Cara." He picked up a pen as his smirk grew but she didn't respond, simply waiting for him to finish signing the papers before taking them away again

"Do wait a moment; there is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you." He held up a hand as she turned to leave and she paused, sighing as she turned back to face him.

"The mayor is throwing a party to celebrate the capture of a dangerous serial killer; it's in tribute to those responsible for his capture. You, Raina and our dear Miss Amnell are to receive commendation, so, naturally, you will have to attend. It is to be held Saturday night, eight pm onwards at the People's Palace. Do try to dress nicely." He gave her a condescending look and, once again, she resisted the urge to slam his head into the desk. Instead she simply turned on her heel, leaving without a word.

Dahlia was ecstatic. The second Cara had mentioned the party; she started spouting about dresses and a great many other things Cara did not care about. She joined in long enough to point out that she did not wear dresses then left the woman to her planning. The night in question was three days away and Cara got the feeling Dahlia would only get more annoying as time went on. Raina had also been relatively pleased: the forensic specialist didn't often get much acknowledgement so it was a bigger deal for her than it was for Cara or Amnell... Well, maybe just for her: Kahlan had seemed pretty proud too.

If there was one thing about Dahlia she would never find fault with, it was her taste. The woman certainly did know how to make Cara look good. A small smirk curved the corner of her mouth as she pulled on the suit jacket and admired her reflection in the mirror; she was dressed in full black, black trousers, black shirt (left open to an almost dangerous point) and black suit jacket, all tailored perfectly to fit. A glance at the clock told her it was time to go and she headed for the door, ruffling Leo's head on her way past. Dahlia had to work late so she'd be getting a taxi there but Cara had to arrive on time to talk to people or… something, Rahl had explained but she hadn't been listening.

A small shudder ran through her as she entered the party. There were people everywhere, all dressed up holding ridiculous champagne flutes and talking about inconsequential bullshit. It was going to be a long night.

"Cara!" A voice caught her attention and she spun to see Raina dragging Berdine through the crowd toward her.

"Raina, Berdine." She gave a nod to each of them and while Raina grinned, Berdine gave her usual calm smile.

"Dahlia chose your outfit?" The taller woman ran a critical eye over her and Cara shrugged.

"Who else?" She smirked and the pair laughed.

"Have you seen Kahlan yet?" Raina had a mischievous glint in her eye that Cara didn't like as she shook her head.

"Just got here, why?" She frowned suspiciously and the dark haired woman feigned innocence: the look did not sit well on her devilish face.

"No reason. Just… keep an eye out for her. Berdine and I need a drink." With that she dragged Berdine away again, leaving Cara to watch them leave with a small scowl. What was that woman up to?

It wasn't long before she found out. Amnell entered through a doorway to her right and instantly Cara felt her eyes widen. She knew the woman was hot but... her thoughts trailed off as the brunette seemed to spot her and began walking over, Cara only just managing to school her expression before Kahlan drew close enough to speak.

"You made it." She smiled brightly and Cara took a second to compose herself before answering.

"It was either attend or find a new job, so..." She shrugged casually but her eyes were wandering without her permission. The woman was wearing a full-length white dress that was fitted to show off the woman's almost sinful curves. As her eyes (slowly) moved upwards, Cara was met by a square-cut neckline that displayed just the right amount of cleavage to make her want to remove the dress to get to the rest. Again, she had to force her eyes to continue upwards, back up to Amnell's face where she was met with a small smirk and a slightly arched brow.

"Something wrong?" The brunette had clearly caught her staring. She raised a hand to push her hair back over her shoulder, causing Cara to notice that, for the first time in her memory, Kahlan was wearing her hair down. Was it always so long? Dark waves tumbled from the woman's shoulders, reaching all the way down to below her ribs. Refusing to let herself get trapped in the chest area again, Cara yanked her attention back to Kahlan's face.

"You look... nice." She waved a hand to indicate the woman's dress before sticking them both into her front pockets, turning to survey the crowd with a passive expression while she waited for the inevitable smirk on the brunette's face to fade.

"Thanks. So do you." Her voice made Cara turn back to look at her and she found the woman giving her a small smile. Of course, it was just her luck that at that exact moment, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Hey, Cara." Dahlia purred and Cara spun to face her with a small smile.

"You made it." She leant forward to wrap an arm around the shorter woman's waist pull her into a quick kiss but the back of her neck burned as she felt Kahlan watching them.

"Only just. An emergency came in just as I was leaving, car crash or something, but I still had time to change. What do you think?" She stepped back and Cara took her time surveying Dahlia's dress, as little of it as there was. The woman wore a knee-length, skin-tight and blood red dress with a dangerously low neckline. Dahlia gave her a look that let her know a response was expected, so she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman's waist, leaning down to pull her into another, much longer, kiss. When she was unsure of what to say, kissing her seemed to work out best. When they broke apart, Dahlia smirked at her.

"I guess you like it then." Her smirk grew slightly and she pressed herself closer for a second, pulling Cara into a very brief kiss before pulling away and turning to Kahlan.

"Now we should stop ignoring your friend." She seemed to take a second to absorb Kahlan's appearance and suddenly Cara found a possessive arm around her waist, under her jacket. With a small smirk she rested a hand on Dahlia's hip.

"Dahlia, this is Detective Amnell, my partner at the station. Kahlan, this is my girlfriend, Dahlia." The second she named Kahlan as her partner she felt Dahlia's nails dig into her side. Even through her shirt, the shorter woman's thoughts on the matter were leaving crescent shaped dents in her waist.

With great difficulty, Cara managed to keep a straight face throughout Kahlan and Dahlia's exchange of pleasantries, only wincing when the conversation turned to her.

"I'm sorry you got stuck with Cara." Dahlia gave a small chuckle and Kahlan laughed.

"She's a bit stubborn but I think I'm winning her over." The brunette turned her smile to Cara for a moment before looking back to Dahlia's slightly narrowed eyes. It wasn't a very noticeable change, but Cara had come to know that look of quiet fury quite well during their relationship. She should: she'd had it directed at her often enough.

Cara was pretty sure her side started bleeding as Dahlia's nails became close friends with her kidneys. That was probably another bad sign.

Thankfully, Rahl chose that moment to appear, his, hot-as-ever, girlfriend Nicci in tow, and told them it was time to get up onto the stage to snap some pictures, giving Cara a much needed chance to escape Dahlia's wrath, for now.

* * *

**- Kahlan's POV –**

Cara's reaction to her appearance had been something of a confidence boost. Obviously, it wasn't because it was the blonde who had reacted in such a way, but it was good to know she could still catch someone's eye if she wanted to. She had to admit, she'd been a little self conscious when she first arrived: the last time she'd worn this dress had been when Richard proposed. She smiled slightly at the memory of how nervous he'd been: his hands were shaking so much he'd dropped the ring on the floor and then knocked his head on the table trying to pick it up. The reminiscing quickly turned sad as her hand found the empty space where the ring used to be. There was no point in wearing it now. With a shake of her head she pushed the memories away and focused on walking. She, Raina and Cara had to stand and smile to the people gathered while Rahl gave a little speech. If only Richard could see her now, catching serial killers and saving lives, in D'Hara of all places. Who'd have thought she'd change so much?

She felt an arm brush hers as the blonde beside her shifted uncomfortably, clearly unused to being the focus of attention. She glanced to the side and saw a frown on the woman's face that caused her to have to dip her head to hide a smile before turning to look at Raina on her left. The shorter woman held a cheerful smile that was completely genuine. Obviously she was very pleased that her department was finally getting the recognition it deserved when it came to investigation. Too often people overlooked the forensics department when it came time to hand out the awards. Of course, Raina's eyes were completely fixed on the tall Berdine stood in the front row, a proud expression clear on her face as she smiled back. Those two were really great together. Another pang of sadness hit her as she felt the memories of Richard inundating again but she turned them away. She'd resisted thinking of him as much as she could since she'd come to D'Hara. A fresh start was a fresh start: thinking of the past would do no good.

When Rahl's speech finally wrapped up, the photographer stepped forward. Kahlan stood and smiled as she had photographs taken of her alone (she didn't bring a plus one), some with Raina's hand on her shoulder, some with Cara's arm around her waist (she couldn't help but notice the Detective's girlfriend glaring at her from the minute the photographer suggested it) and one of the three of them stood together. Afterwards they all wandered off in separate directions, Raina seemed to vanish into thin air, though Kahlan was sure she saw the black-haired woman dragging Berdine through a door at the back of the hall a few seconds later, and Mason was dragged off toward the main entrance by a rather upset-looking Dahlia. Clearly the two would be plenty occupied for some time.

So, left on her own, Kahlan decided to explore, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and wandering off, away from the crowds. The gardens were beautiful. With everyone inside, all that could be heard was distant music. With a small smile she set herself a slow pace around the path. Clearly the owner of this home was proud of their garden: she was pretty sure it must take an army of gardeners to keep it so tidy. Rose bushes cropped up between shaped hedges, small trees and various other flowers that she had no names for but found beautiful all the same. A large pond lay in the centre of it all, shaded partially by cherry trees that were just starting to show their blossoms. For the first time since she'd set foot in D'Hara, she felt calm and content.

A sharp cry shattered the enchantment and her head whipped around, looking for its source. Another followed it and she started to run, heels slowing her down but only a little as she moved quickly to the source of the sound.

"Foolish woman, Stay here until you're presentable then rejoin me at the party." Rahl's voice reached her and she stopped, hearing footsteps coming her way and automatically ducking behind a nearby hedge shaped to look like a bear. He strode past her, oblivious to her presence, wiping his hands on a white handkerchief and whistling casually to himself, never even looking toward her hiding place in his eagerness to return to the party.

Once he was safely out of earshot, Kahlan moved, hurrying quickly around the corner to find a woman curled upon to floor, her knees brought as close to her chest as the tight black dress she wore would allow.

"Hello?" She spoke gently, her hand held forward as if she were trying to approach a frightened animal. The woman's head whipped around, wispy strands of platinum blonde hair waving freely where it had come loose from its side plait. She didn't speak, she didn't have to, Kahlan could see the look in the woman's ice blue eyes and it told her the truth. With a stab of sadness she moved forwards and dropped to sit on the floor beside her.

"My name is Kahlan. You're Nicci, right?" She tilted her head questioningly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible, despite the overwhelming urge to go and hang Rahl from a tree, and not by his neck. The blonde nodded and Kahlan gave a slight smile, trying to encourage her to speak.

"Are you going to be alright? That looks…" She frowned at the bright red mark across Nicci's cheekbone. A laugh startled her: it took her a moment to figure out it had come from the blonde.

"Bruises are the least of my problems with him around." She gave a slightly disturbing giggle that quickly transformed into a sob, followed by another, and another until she put her head in her hands and Kahlan pulled her forward into her arms, unable to do anything but try and comfort her as she wept.

It took some time, but slowly, the tears subsided and Nicci pulled herself away.

"I'm sorry. I should go." Nicci made to get up but Kahlan shook her head, placing a hand on her shoulder to push her back down.

"No. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on." She gave a stern look and the blonde seemed to consider running for a moment before sighing.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" She almost looked pleading for a second but Kahlan shook her head resolutely. With another sigh, Nicci dropped back down, trying, and failing, to get a little more comfortable on the hard ground.

"Why do you stay with him?" Kahlan's eyes narrowed as she slipped into interrogation a little. She had a habit of being able to get people to tell her the truth. Around Aydindril it had earned her the nickname 'Confessor'; like the priests who sat in confession booths; suspects always seemed unable to lie to her.

"Would you believe me if I said I had no choice?" Nicci looked away from her but Kahlan moved slightly to recapture her eyes.

"There is always a choice." Though her voice was soft, she felt her expression harden as Nicci shook her head.

"Not this time. I have to stay with him until I'm told otherwise." Her voice practically turned to stone at the last admission. Kahlan blinked in confusion.

"Why? Who's making you stay with him?" She leant forwards, hands resting on her knees in place of a table. There was a pause. Nicci seemed to be warring inside her own head and she groaned quietly before shutting her eyes and turning her head downwards

"Jagang."

For a long while they both stayed silent, Nicci seeming to be lost in thought and Kahlan in shock.  
"You work for Jagang?" It was all she could do not to shout. Thanks to Cara, she knew of the Order and what they did, and now Rahl was tied to them in some way?! Anger bubbled up inside her at the thought.  
"Not quite by choice, but yes. I report to him, through Rahl. Whenever one of the Order makes a mistake or we're close to being caught, Rahl cleans up the mess for him, makes sure his detectives are thrown off of the trail." She gave an apologetic look and Kahlan pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as the information swam around in her head. This was a lot of information to get while sat on the floor of a garden. Where the hell was Cara?

* * *

**- Cara's POV –**

She felt oddly calm as she watched Dahlia pace back and forth. She had been all but dragged into the private rooms and she'd immediately sat down on the sofa in the corner, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees in preparation for the long rant that was inevitably on its way.

"So that's the detective you've been mad about for weeks." Dahlia's calm tone didn't fool her: she could see the jealousy dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, that's Kahlan. And no, I haven't been mad about her, I've been mad **at **her." She rolled her eyes and leant back in the chair, folding her arms across her chest.

"Then why not fire her? Or does she have some talents that you're not mentioning?" Either the glasses of champagne she'd witness Dahlia go through were really starting to take effect, or the woman was naturally this unreasonable, Cara couldn't be sure. All she wanted right now was to go home and sleep, preferably alone, but Dahlia was far from finished.

"She's done nothing wrong. She's hardworking, co-operative, able to emotionally detach from a crime scene, intelligent... She's a good detective." She shrugged but as she spoke she could feel Dahlia's glare sharpen.

"Sounds perfect." The words were all but spat at her and Cara sighed. She'd had enough. Slowly, she stood and walked over to the shorter woman, her expression hard and unfazed.

"Listen. There are only so many times I can put up with being accused of sleeping around. Yes, Amnell is attractive, and yes, she is going to keep her job. The precinct needs her. Now, you're going to have to get over it and trust that I'm not fucking her on a desk. Because, last I checked, you are the only one in the room who's cheated before." The last part slipped out without her consent and suddenly she'd been slapped across the face.

"Fuck you!" Dahlia took several steps back but Cara felt her anger building.

"No, fuck you. I'm sick of your shit Dahlia. We've been together for what? Two years? And you still don't trust me not to grab every passing woman and drag her into my bed. This jealousy thing is getting really old." She shook her head and folded her arms again, her stare firm as she faced the other blonde.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so fucking cut-off then! I can never tell what you're thinking, you just shrug everything off and act like it doesn't matter. It **matters**. This, moving in together-"

"Don't even start on moving in together." Cara cut her off, her annoyance at Dahlia's decision to move in had been bubbling below the surface for a while but her anger finally caused it to boil over.

"I never agreed to us living together, you decided that on your own." She glared accusingly and Dahlia took another step back.

"Are you saying you don't want us to live together?" Cara said nothing. Hurt flickered across the shorter woman's face for the briefest of seconds before it was replaced with a cold glare.

"Right then. I'll get my stuff tomorrow." With that she left and Cara turned away, letting her go.

What a shitty night.

* * *

_**-Berdine and Raina-**_

_"Do you think we should go find Kahlan and Cara?" Berdine frowned thoughtfully at the wall of the bathroom Raina had dragged her into._  
_"Nah, I'm sure they're having fun." The dark haired woman finished pulling her shirt back on with a smirk._  
_"Unless you think we could ask them to join us?" Her smirk grew and Berdine couldn't help but laugh, reaching forward to pull her into her lap._  
_"You know, I think they can handle themselves for a while longer."_

* * *

_**Couldn't resist adding in Berdine and Raina, call it an unedited deleted scene or something :3**_


End file.
